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Sunday Funday at Brick’s Roadhouse

San Francisco: all the amenities of a big city, plus spiffy cable cars and world champion baseball teams! SF is squarely at the top of my list of ‘Places To Live When I’m A Bajillionaire’, and my people have been Giants fans since Barry Bonds was just ‘kind of muscle-y’, so I was looking forward to the San Francisco Sunday Funday at Brick’s Smokehouse BBQ & Grill.

The only problem? The event ran from 11-5, and the Giants took the field at 5pm, so the novelty of drinking beers from the bay while watching the boys from the bay was not to be had. I hadn’t checked the game time before heading to Brick’s for lunch, but their space is nice and their meat is smoky, so I stuck around despite the noticeable lack of Madison Bumgarner.
The Redding Beer Week specials were 21st Amendment’s Brew Free or Die IPA and Hell or High Watermelon, Drake’s 1500 Pale Ale, and Lagunitas’ IPA and Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale. I realize IPAs and pale ales are popular right now, but I would’ve liked a little more variety; thankfully the Hell or High Watermelon stepped up to the plate. It’s a light, hazy beer and is often approached dubiously for its unconventional fruiting. Hell or High hits a solid triple, though, blending a subtle watermelon flavor with a good balance of wheat and spice. It’s a great ‘hot day at the ballpark’ beer, and didn’t fight with the smoky goodness of my tri-tip salad. I sampled my friend’s Brew Free or Die and made a mental note to try it again sometime, as it was lighter and more drinkable than IPAs usually are for me.

The service and food at Brick’s were great, and had the game been on I’m sure it would’ve made for a lively atmosphere, but its absence made for a fairly quiet lunch, and not much of an event.